156 reasons to choose teaching

[Piggywaspushed]

Today I choose positivity so for those of you who keep asking, should I go into teaching , I give you:

www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/2017/02/12/get-into-teaching/?utm_content=buffer0c87d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Disclaimer : I agree with about 8 on most days
Disclaimer 2: surely no one can plié on to this thread from 'real life' to tell us off on this thread!?

Plie??? what on earth is wrong with my spell check?

I would love to see some ballet moves, though!

I shall pas de bourre away merrily.

155, I never get thank you cards.

Secondary are you, copy ??

Oh, it's actually 156 different things?? I assumed that was the number of days a year we don't go in.

How did you guess, Piggy

I wouldn’t want to work in primary in a million years, but at least they get presents!

I could narrow it down to 3:

1. The holidays
2. It’s not boring
3. The kids

lowdoor

Thank you piggy. Sometimes we need a reminder; and many of these are why I teach.

(The student related ones).

I don't do it for the PPA :)

Yes, I did find the PPA one a bit odd!

Teachers are respected by pupils.
Teaching is respected by family and friends.
Teaching is respected by other professions.

As ever noble nails it!!

Maybe the cynics would prefer this:

Choose life.

Choose a job.

Choose teaching.

Choose to make a difference,

Choose a fuc4ing, big, highlighter pen.

Choose interactive whiteboards, staplers, and glue-sticks; TES Resources and non-stop piles of marking.

Choose ‘good’ teaching, performance management and reams and reams of data collection.

Choose a low salary and long working hours.

Choose a subject specialism and a classroom (if you’re lucky).

Choose your colleagues, but not your line manager.

Choose wall displays and matching schemes of work.

Choose a hire purchase, state-of-the-art photocopier in a range of monochromatic colours.

Choose ‘workload’ and wondering who you are on a Sunday morning.

Choose sitting in a meeting, listening to mind-numbing, spirit-crushing exam analysis, stuffing fuc4ing cake and biscuits into your mouth.

Choose slipping away at the end of it all, staring at a computer screen in a damp, miserable office. Nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, spoilt-little brats you’ve educated to replace yourself.

Choose your future.

Choose life.

Choose education.

Choose to make a difference …

We get PPA time – that’s unheard of in other professions. Eh? I think the people who write this guff must never have done anything other than teach. I worked in several other professional jobs before teaching and we didn't need "PPA time", because we just did our admin at whatever time worked for us!

Yeah....no one else gets PPA? Hmmm, do you think they are trying to wind us up?

Must admit I thought the same phiney. My reaction was 'eh? But other jobs don't NEED PPA time!' (apart from doctors and nurse who obviously could do with it.) I can only begin to imagine teacher retention figures if we had no PPA!

When I worked in the private sector (what? You mean the real world?) and we had to bill our time to clients at 15 minute intervals, we were allowed to bill half an hour a day to general admin. You know, tidying your desk and doing a bit of filing.

You spend your days with children who are often utterly uplifting, sweet and rewarding.
You do a job that is more meaningful than 99 % of other jobs.
You get to be creative most days.
You get to be autonomous most days.
You get to have fun on many days.
You get to genuinely help students who are facing personal struggles.
You get to know that your 8 hours made a difference to people.
You get to read interesting texts.
You get to laugh at jokes.
You get to practice being patient.
You get to practice being tolerant and accepting.
You get to be humble, every day.
You get to feel loved on many days.
You get to feel appreciated on a significant number of days.
You get to love a job.

autonomous ?

Those were the days!

The main number one reason I want to leave is lack of creative or intellectual autonomy : we can't even make our own decisions on progress or predicted grades any more.

''. It’s not boring''

please remind me how uploading data, sitting in endless meetings, marking 100 assessments is not boring...

In got very lucky and moved to the US and then got a job in a school where the Head believes teachers should have as much creative freedom as possible. My first year no one even told me the kids had to do a big test so they did it with zero preparation. Colleague told me"Yeah he hates anyone teaching to the test- it is more important that the kids enjoy the learning." I am still in shock at the dfference. I feel like I got in a time machine and went back to the 1980's. The same head told me I was spending too long grading and showed me how he used to do it ( unless it is an essay) and flick and tick because the kids don't really read comments once they have finished the work.

I do realise I may be in a very particular situation and I hope it lasts because I am enjoying teaching again. Out that door at 3.20- taking no work home.

I’ve got some really good material if I ever write a novel...!